How To Make Pumpkin Crisps, Fries, Roasted Seeds and S’mores!

This season I’ll be experimenting with candied pumpkin rind! I’ll post my results soon. Also see my other post that shows you pictures and tips for 11 Fun Pumpkins and Winter Squash. Learn which ones are best for carving, cooking and decor.

Use the entire pumpkin! Well, everything except the stem. No recipe for that yet : )

We had a few pumpkins that weren’t quite ready for carving by Halloween. With some experimentation, we discovered that almost every inch of the pumpkin can be converted into tasty treats! The skins make great chips and why not try a pile of roasted fries with crumbled feta cheese.We also added chunks to our holiday stuffing!

We used one small-medium size pumpkin to demonstrate all of the recipes here. Pie pumpkins will taste better than large jack-o-lantern pumpkins. FIRST, cut the stem off the pumpkin. You can trim any surrounding pumpkin off to eat. Sorry, no recipe yet for the stem – add to your compost. Then quarter the pumpkin but cut one of the quarters in half and reserve for the s’mores. Remove the seeds and reserve.

PUMPKIN CRISPS:

Skin the squash. Carefully cut the skin off the pumpkin into long, thin slices – as thin as you can manage.

Add skins to a large bowl, sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt and toss well. Let sit for 10 minutes before baking to allow the salt to draw out some of the moisture in the raw pumpkin crisps.

Add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil. (optional-add a drop of sesame oil) and toss well. Better to add less oil than more. You want the pieces barely coated.

PUMPKIN FRIES:

Cut all of the pumpkin meat into thick fries about ½ inch thick (except the smaller reserved piece).

Add fries to a large bowl, sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt and toss well. Let sit for 10 minutes before baking to allow the salt to draw out some of the moisture in the raw fries.

Add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil. (optional-add a drop of sesame oil) and toss well. Better to add less oil than more. You want the fries barely coated.

Bake at 400 degrees F (preheated first) on parchment paper for 45-50 minutes. Turning over during baking is optional. I don’t flip the fries because it’s too much trouble and they come out fine without the extra effort.

These taste great alone or with feta or blue cheese sprinkled on top.

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Rinse well and remove any stringy pumpkin.

Add seeds to a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for a bit in a bowl before baking. Then toss in a small amount of olive oil.

Bake in a preheated, 400 degree F oven for 25 minutes.

For the crispiest seeds, don’t use too much oil and always toss first instead of just applying oil to the pan or drizzling on top. We think parchment paper works best. Check your seeds and remove after they get a bit of color.

PUMPKIN S’MORES:

Cut the small pumpkin piece into ¼ inch thick “squares” about as big as half a graham cracker. Don’t worry if the shapes are not perfect. In fact, use up any leftover pieces of pumpkin.

Add s’more pieces to a large bowl, sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt and toss well. Let sit for 10 minutes before baking to allow the salt to draw out some of the moisture in the raw s’more pieces.

Add a tiny amount of extra virgin olive oil. (optional-add a drop of sesame oil) and toss well. Better to add less oil than more. You want the pieces barely coated.

Bake at 400 degrees F (preheated first) on parchment paper on the top rack for 45-50 minutes. I don’t flip the squares.

Keep warm. You want them to give off some heat when you make the s’mores. Slip one pumpkin square in the middle of a s’more in between the marshmallow and chocolate. At home, without a campfire, we start with a graham cracker, then layer dark chocolate chips and small marshmallows in an alternating pattern, add the warm pumpkin and finally another graham cracker. The pumpkin should slightly melt the marshmallows and chocolate.

Extra Tips:

I don’t mix all of the different pumpkin treats up and bake together because you never know when something needs a little more time in the oven. The larger pieces of pumpkin have more surface area and will need extra time.

You can try using all your racks at once but I’ve found the top rack gives me the best results in my oven.

Experiment with foods that compliment pumpkin! How to make pumpkin pickles coming soon! Video coming soon!

Hi Janet! I guess it depends on the type of pumpkin and how fresh it is. I would taste it raw. Some with light colored flesh, such as Bushkin, are quite flavorful. Others like the jack o’ lantern sometimes lack oomph. For savory snacks and fries, I have dusted the pumpkin with minced onion, ginger, garlic or a combination of these. I’ve also used cayenne with pumpkin and want to try chipotle and lime.

One Christmas I hollowed out a squash to use as a vessel for a sausage stuffing. The plan was to cube the squash and include it. The flesh wasn’t very flavorful but added texture and it all came together well along with fresh herbs, e.g., thyme and even dried blueberries.

Maybe pumpkin pie spice would work well to bring out the flavor in sweeter snacks. For the skin, I’m thinking of treating it like candied orange peel – may add 100% orange juice concentrate in the liquid used to candy it.

Nowadays I look for really flavorful squash to use in place of pumpkin. That way I don’t have to try so hard to pull out the flavor. Hubbard is my favorite. It has a bumpy gray skin with a bright orange interior. It taste great sliced in big chunks, coated in olive oil and roasted in the oven. I think a lot of pumpkin pie fillings use squash instead of pumpkin.

A little salt also enhances the flavor in both savory an sweet creations. What do you think?

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